


Statues

by GloryMorgan, OVillanelle



Series: Home [2]
Category: The Last of Us (Video Games)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Depression, Domestic Fluff, Ellie Needs a Hug (The Last of Us), F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Game: The Last of Us Part II, No Lesbians Die, No Major Character Dies, POV Dina (The Last of Us), POV Ellie (The Last of Us), Post-The Last of Us Part II (Video Game), Trauma, Useless Lesbian Ellie (The Last of Us), Useless Lesbians, Weapons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-16 11:21:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29575278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GloryMorgan/pseuds/GloryMorgan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/OVillanelle/pseuds/OVillanelle
Summary: Ellie, Dina, and JJ have been living in Jackson for the last 8 years, watching and helping as it grew from a small respectable town into the closest thing their world had to a city.  With over 1,000 people and borders constantly expanding, there was no shortage of people to help make it a better, safer place to live.  More people, meant everyone didn't feel quite as familiar, but it was a small price to pay for the safety they felt, having miles around the town free from danger.  When tragedy unexpectedly shakes the foundation of the safety Jackson provided, Dina and Ellie are forced to leave home for the first time in almost a decade, and embark on a journey to protect the thing that matters most to them.This is set after the events of Wayfaring Stranger, but it is not necessary to read that first to understand what happens here.  Feedback is always encouraged, and I hope you enjoy!
Relationships: Cat & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina & Ellie (The Last of Us), Dina & JJ (The Last of Us), Dina & Tommy (The Last of Us), Dina/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & JJ (The Last of Us), Ellie & Maria (The Last of Us), Ellie & Tommy (The Last of Us), Ellie (The Last of Us)/Original Character(s), Kat (The Last of Us) & Original Character(s), Maria/Tommy (The Last of Us)
Series: Home [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2176374
Comments: 17
Kudos: 48





	1. Prologue

November 11th 2048

Ellie

“Hey Bigfoot, can’t you walk any quieter?” Ellie whispered over her shoulder as she and Dina climbed the creaky staircase of their home. 

She peered over her shoulder in time to see Dina’s eye roll, but missed the top step and stumbled into the table on the landing. Dina broke out into laughter behind her, and Ellie quickly hushed her.

“You’re gonna wake him!”

“Oh come on Ellie. You don’t actually think he’s still sleeping, do you?” Dina let out a breathy laugh, and placed her hand onto Ellie’s bicep to steady herself “You nearly brought the house down trying to get out a frying pan.” 

Ellie paused with her hand on the handle to JJ’s room as she looked down with a cocked eyebrow at Dina’s hand, and then back to her deep brown eyes. “If  _ somebody  _ would ever keep their hands to themselves, maybe nothing would have fallen.”

Dina wiggled her eyebrows and slowly slid her hand up to the back of Ellie’s neck, burying her fingers into her hair and making Ellie swoon, “I didn’t hear any complaints at the time,” She said, her voice deep.

Ellie’s retort died in her throat when the door flung open to reveal a slightly disgruntled, but mostly amused 9 year old. 

“Are you guys trying to watch me sleep again?” JJ asked, brushing his hair, which had grown far too long, out of his eyes.

Ellie elbowed Dina in the ribs, and shot her a glare “I  _ told  _ you, you were too loud.”

“Actually, I heard noises in the kitchen and was hoping Mama was making some breakfast?” He eyed Dina with his best shot at puppy dog eyes, and batted his lashes for good measure.

A beaming smile crept onto Dina’s face, and she let out a triumphant “HA!” and crossed her arms over her chest “Told you.”

“Ugh, whatever” Ellie grumbled before turning to her son “and I’ll have you know, it was  _ me  _ who slaved over your birthday feast this morning.”

JJ attempted what Ellie was sure he  _ thought  _ was a grateful smile, but instead looked more like he had just passed gas.

“Well, at least I can say I’ve had a good 9 years” He let out a long sigh and then giggled as he caught Dina’s eye.

“Don’t worry sweetheart. I kept a close eye, and it all seems edible to me” Dina winked at Ellie and ruffled JJ’s already messy bed hair.

Ellie stood there with her mouth open wide, watching the two snicker “I really don’t know why I bother with you two”

“Oh shut up, you love us,” Dina quickly cut her off, and pulled Ellie close to plant a wet kiss on her freckled cheek before turning to face JJ who was pretending to barf. “Come on birthday boy, your food is getting cold”

Ellie felt her heart thump when JJ grabbed her hand, squeezed it, and eagerly led her and Dina downstairs for his traditional breakfast feast.

*****

As they sat at the kitchen table, Ellie watched her son in awe. He smiled from ear to ear at the spread in front of him, eyes darting from dish to dish as he decided where to start. She turned to catch Dina, who was capturing the moment with her battered polaroid camera, and with a click and a flash, the photo slid out of the plastic box with little struggle. Ellie watched the photo develop under Dina’s fingertips, and let out a huge grin when she saw the image come through of a beaming boy with his eyes wide at the mountains of eggs, potatoes, and pancakes. His knife and fork in his hands, ready to feast.

Before she could say dig in, JJ had already managed to shove a whole pancake in his mouth, devouring it as if it was his last meal.

“Jesus, slow down bud. Anyone would think we starve you,” Dina chortled while snapping another picture; this time of Ellie and JJ at the table. Ellie gave her cheesiest grin, and JJ didn’t even notice the picture being taken, he was too engrossed in his plate.

“Mom, this is  _ so  _ tasty,” His voice barely audible over the chewing.

Ellie sat up straight and gave Dina her best ‘I told you so” face when she replied “You see? I’m not all that bad in the kitchen,”

“I’d say so,” Dina winked nonchalantly, Ellie choked on her eggs and quickly reached for her drink, hiding behind it to conceal the blush on her cheeks.

“You okay mom?” JJ asked with pure innocence. Ellie smiled gently at him and nodded, grateful he was still too young to notice Dina’s antics.

“I’m fine spud,” She replied, flashing her ‘how dare you’ eyes at Dina’s big brown ones, “just ate a little too fast,”  _ Good save. _

Ellie nudged the empty chair open, nodding towards Dina to join them, and Dina smiled sweetly at her and joined them for their meal.

As Dina and JJ stuffed their faces, and chatted among themselves, Ellie slouched back into her chair and found herself watching her son closely. She watched his expressions change, and watched him hold an adult conversation with his mother, like an actual real person. It turned her stomach into knots any time she thought about how fast the time had gone by. It still felt like yesterday that she was bouncing her little potato around the farm, and now that potato could walk and talk and had a whole lot of personality. It was overwhelming at times, but she adored the person he was becoming, and loved being there every step of the way. With that, came the unexpected, but not altogether unwelcome fact that JJ was  _ so much  _ like her. Sure, he looked like Jesse, and had Dina’s wits, but his awkward mannerisms and motivated personality were  _ all  _ Ellie. You didn’t need to be blood related to know that JJ was her son through and through.

She laughed to herself as JJ scooped the last spoonful of eggs into his mouth, and slumped back into his chair with a satisfied sigh.

“Okay, that… was pretty good” He admitted, patting his protruding stomach.

“I told you I could cook.” Ellie said, and stuck her tongue out at the boy. 

JJ mirrored the look and she saw Dina roll her eyes at the both of them as she stood up from the table.

“Come on, time for your presents and then your mom is taking you to see Miguel for your haircut” Dina’s voice echoed as she headed for the living room. 

JJ’s face lit up at the prospect of presents and he sprang from his chair a lot faster than someone who had just consumed so much food should be able to. Ellie laughed and slowly got up to follow, content to leave the dishes for later.

Dina and JJ sat on the couch in the living room, and JJ eyed the two poorly wrapped presents sitting on the coffee table with poorly disguised interest. Ellie made her way over to them, and leaned against the fireplace, watching as Dina lifted the larger of the two and handed it to him with a smile.

“Your mom picked this one out” Dina said with a smile, and winked at Ellie.

JJ grinned at her and sat himself back into the couch with the present in his lap before tearing into it with vigor. He stopped tearing the wrapping paper half way through, and his eyes widened when he realized what was inside. Ellie bit her lip to stop herself from grinning and raised her eyebrows at the excited boy.

“A walkman?” He beamed “Where did you find one?”

“I have my connections,” she winked and tapped her nose “I’ve even got some of my old tapes for you to listen to.”

She barely had time to brace herself before JJ leaped up from the couch and threw himself into her arms. This gift clearly meant a lot more to him than she had anticipated.

“Thank you, mom.” His muffled voice came from his face squished into her.

Ellie didn’t reply. Instead she pulled him closer and squeezed him until he started to make dramatic suffocating sounds and flailing his arms. She huffed and put her arms onto her son's shoulders, moving him to an arms lengths distance.

“You… are  _ so  _ dramatic” She raised her eyebrow and smirked.

“I learnt from the best,” JJ raised his own brow, suddenly looking just like Dina.

“You really did… Your mama is  _ extremely  _ dramatic,” she forced her mouth shut tight in an attempt to conceal the laughter building in her chest.

JJ chuckled, and she felt a slap on her shoulder, turning to find a smirking Dina.

“You ass,” Dina chided before twisting around and grabbing the second present, clutching it to her chest, “I think I’ll keep this”

“That’s not fair!” JJ protested “Mom was the one who said you’re dramatic, not me!”

“Which I stand by after this reaction!” Ellie called out, hiding behind her shield that was JJ.

JJ let out a small laugh at the comment before catching Dina’s playful glare and snapping his mouth shut.

“You’re lucky I still think you’re cute,” She huffed, passing him the present and ruffling his hair.

JJ tore into the second present with as much enthusiasm as the first, and held the small object in his hands, staring at it in wonder.

“Is this real?” He asked, turning it over in his hands and getting terrifyingly close to the release button without realizing.

“ _ Very  _ real” Dina spoke softly, pulling Ellie to her side, “We thought it was time you had something to protect yourself with.”

JJ continued to clumsily fiddle with his new switchblade, and Ellie’s heart lurched with each turn. Before he could actually hurt himself, she reached over and gently took the knife out of his hands.

“Now, because it  _ is  _ real, you have to be  _ very _ careful with it. You see this button?” She asked, tilting the faded and scuffed tortoise shell handle so he could see the small silver button. JJ peered closer, pure fascination and concentration on his face, “when you press it...” Ellie moved the knife away from JJ and popped it open. He jumped and tried to disguise it as an itch, “...it just pops open. And then to close it, you can just use the leg of your pants and push it closed.” She demonstrated for him and passed the blade back.

It took everything in her  _ not  _ to snatch it right back when he went straight for the button, but a sharp look from Dina was all she needed to keep her cool. JJ flipped the blade open, and then closed it clumsily a few times before Dina started gathering up the remnants of his gifts.

“I have to go and meet Maria to get things prepared for the party,” She said, scrunching the wrapping paper into a ball. “And you two have to get to Miguel’s. You better not be late,” she eyed Ellie pointedly.

“Oh, because you’re so known for your punctuality,” Ellie scoffed.

“For today, I will be. Now you,” Dina looked at JJ, “go and get ready.” He obeyed immediately, and once his footsteps were retreating up the stairs, she turned to Ellie, “and you, come here,” Ellie smiled and happily obliged with her wife’s request, stepping into her warm embrace, “I think that went well...” Dina said, hugging Ellie tighter.

Ellie pondered for a moment before nodding her agreement with a small smile “He’s going to end up cutting himself on that knife,” She decided.

Dina sighed and let her head fall to Ellie’s shoulder.

“Have a little faith, Ellie. He can’t be sheltered by Jackson forever, he needs to be able to defend himself, and he’s a smart kid. If he cuts himself, he’ll learn and won’t do it again,” Dina spoke softly, rubbing her soft hands over Ellie’s back.

“I’m glad you’re so okay with having our son’s blood on your hands,” Ellie let out a breathy chuckle.

Dina pulled away far enough for Ellie to see her roll her eyes, and placed a chaste kiss on her nose.

“You worry too much.” She rubbed her fingers between Ellie’s eyebrows to smooth down the worry lines, some which were now permanently etched in, and Ellie closed her eyes to the touch. “Now go,” she said with another quick kiss, this time to Ellie’s lips. “I believe you have something planned for our boy, and  _ I  _ need to go see a woman about a horse.”

Ellie chuckled and kissed her cheek before pulling away.

“Don’t be late, Ellie” Dina pointed her finger which Ellie playfully swatted away.

“Yes, dear. Whatever you say, dear” She replied rolling her eye’s, clearly trying to agitate the feisty woman in front of her

Dina grabbed Ellie’s shirt, and pulled her down so their faces were inches apart. 

“You’re infuriating, have I ever told you that?” Dina’s voice was a husky whisper.

“Hmm, once or twice” Ellie grinned, and closed the distance between the two with a deep kiss. She couldn’t help but grin into the kiss as she felt Dina soften under her touch.

After a few seconds, she pulled away and chuckled when she saw how red Dina’s face had gotten, and how hard she was trying to keep her composure. 

“Okay Cassanova. I have to go, otherwise I  _ will  _ be late, and you will be to blame.” Dina smiled and pushed a little distance between the two.

“Whatever.” Ellie rolled her eyes “We’ll come and meet you at the diner for some lunch after his haircut.” 

Dina planted one more kiss to Ellie’s lips before tossing the wrapping paper that was still in her hands over in the garbage can blindly, and somehow managing to get it in one shot. Ellie could tell Dina was in shock that she actually made the shot, but was clearly trying to act like she knew what she was doing. “See you then,” she said, looking at Ellie with all the confidence in the world before turning to leave. Ellie watched as Dina swayed her hips in just the right way before looking over her shoulder and winking. Ellie let out a low whistle, and the sound of Dina’s laughter faded as she walked out of the house and closed the door behind her. 

Ellie sighed and clapped her hands together, making a quick plan in her head before going over to the turntable. She reached into her collection of albums and pulled out her most recent favorite, a pristine copy of  _ Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace  _ by the  _ Foo Fighters.  _ Ellie had stumbled across it when she was clearing out some of the old homes outside of Jackson that they had been readying for people to move into. She found the album perfectly preserved, protected for decades by nothing more than the dust cover for the turntable it was rested on. There had been another vinyl with it, but it was too damaged to be able to restore.

She carefully placed the needle at the edge of the record, and began playing her famous ‘air guitar’ as the opening notes of ‘ _ The Pretender’  _ filled the air.

“I love this one!” JJ shouted over the bannister from the top floor as Ellie made her way to the kitchen. She chuckled to herself as she heard his feet scurrying to the beat.

As she reached the kitchen, she let out a deep breath and attempted to tackle the dishes and leftovers of the breakfast feast, which had successfully turned the kitchen into a war zone. By the time the first side of the record was coming to an end, the dishes were nearly finished, and a bright eyed and freshly washed JJ made his way down the stairs.

“Sorry, mom I had a shower but I can do the dishes now,” He said with a smile, stepping up to the sink and reaching to take the sudsy sponge from her grip.

“Not today spud,” she said with a wink, “today you are king, and kings don’t do dishes.”

“Really?” He beamed, already backing away from the counter.

Ellie chuckled and nodded “Yes, really. But don't go far, I’m gonna finish up here and the I’ve got one more present for you.”

His face lit up as he quickly hugged her from behind and skipped off to the living room in his excitement.

  
  


When the kitchen was as good as new, Ellie made her way into the living room where she found JJ swinging his switchblade around stabbing invisible enemies.

“You ready?” She asked, causing JJ to jump mid lunge and launch the knife. Ellie watched as it skittered across the floor before coming to a stop under the coffee table, and eyed him amusedly. He gave her a sheepish smile and a small shrug.

“We’re gonna have to work on your spacial awareness, and coordination,” Ellie giggled, JJ huffed and crossed his arms over his chest, “present?” she repeated, pointing her thumb towards the back of the house. JJ’s face lit up and his arms fell to his sides. 

“What is it?” He asked enthusiastically, quickly picking up the knife and running to Ellie.

“Follow me,” Ellie said before turning and walking out the back door of the house. JJ followed excitedly behind her, and soon they were both standing outside of Ellie’s converted garage. 

The old wood building had certainly seen better days. The paint was peeling, and various unfinished projects littered the space along the side.

“Oh no” JJ said with uncertainty “What did you try to make me now? The skateboard you made me last year nearly killed me!”

Ellie looked down at her son, clearly unimpressed. “You know, most kids would appreciate such a thoughtful, handmade present”

“Most skateboards don’t lose their wheels.”

Ellie bit her tongue at his retort. She wanted to be irritated by his cheeky wit, but really it was one of her favorite things about him.

“Do you want your present or what?” She asked, reaching for the door before he could respond.

“Yes please,” He smiled and followed right behind Ellie as she entered her workshop.

The space had transformed over the years. While the couch and coffee table still remained, Ellie’s bed had been handed down to JJ along with her entertainment setup, including all of her favorite DVD’s and video games. And the area they had occupied was home to all of Joel’s old tools and workbenches, many of which Ellie still didn’t know how to use. She had dabbled in woodworking, toy making, and even a little in electronics with help from Dina, but most of her projects weren’t successful, with the exception of this one. She’d been working on this one for years, never feeling like she was good enough at crafting to pull it off and finish it, but she had finally managed.

“Okay, go sit down and close your eyes,” Ellie instructed and pointed to the couch.

JJ excitedly obeyed, and rushed over to sit and close his eyes as fast as he could. After a quick fake-out punch test to make sure his eyes were actually closed, Ellie walked over to the locked cupboard in the corner, and pulled out her latest masterpiece.

The guitar was smaller than a standard one, more suitable for a 9 year old, and painted midnight black. Before she’d poured the finish coat of lacquer over the body, she painted a pretty fucking awesome (if she did say so herself) picture of the solar system and galaxy on it. JJ loved space just as much, if not more, than Ellie did (much to Dina’s dismay), and his recent interest in Ellie’s music had made it clear that there was nothing less she could do for his birthday. She closed the cabinet behind her, and carried the guitar over to JJ. 

Before she was even halfway across the room, she saw his eye crack open, and he was up off the couch and over to her before she’d reached the table.

“Is this really mine?” he asked, reaching for the guitar with wide eyes. 

Ellie smirked and moved it just out of his grasp “I don’t know, you seemed worried about my craftsmanship earlier, and I wouldn’t want it to hurt you,” she brought the guitar to her chest and played a C chord, letting the crisp notes fill the air of the small room.

“Please?” JJ pleaded “I’m sorry, I love everything you make for me, I swear!”

Ellie chuckled at his desperation but relented and handed him the guitar. He rushed straight over to the couch and immediately attempted to play. He had tried playing on her guitar before, so at least knew a few basic chord shapes, but hadn’t quite mastered pushing down hard enough that the strings didn’t buzz.

She watched him focus on where he put his fingers, and smiled at his facial expression. His tongue stuck out of the side of his mouth, and his eyebrows scrunched, just the way Dina’s did when she focused on something.

“You like it?” She smiled, not doubting his answer.

“I love it, mom!” JJ replied in excitement.

“I’m glad. It took me a long time to perfect that. But it was  _ so  _ worth it,” Ellie smiled as she sat herself beside him “Can I?” she nodded at the guitar, and JJ eagerly handed over the instrument. “Now, I strung this guitar left handed because that’s the only way I can play. But, if you want I can restring it to be right handed, which is how most people play. But it would just take me some time to fully teach you because it’s a little harder for me to show you,” she said while picking at a familiar song.

“I want to learn how you do it,” JJ said with a huge grin and zero hesitation.

“Okay,” she smiled, and handed the guitar back to a smiling JJ. She ruffled his shaggy hair, and brushed it away from his forehead so she could plant a wet kiss on it.

“Ugh, mom,” JJ whined and wiped away the slobber with his sleeve.

“Oh don’t be such a baby, you’d be devastated if you had to go without a kiss from your old mommy,” She giggled as she nudged him

“I think I'd survive,” he replied playfully with a smirk. Ellie rolled her eyes and leaned back into the sofa.

“Whatever, kid, I know you love me,” she smiled to herself as JJ resumed his practice. 

After a few minutes of playing, Ellie sat up and let out a sigh, “alright, we gotta get to Miguel’s for your haircut,” she said, JJ groaned, but put down the guitar gently before leaning over to Ellie and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. She smiled to herself, surprised by his sudden affection, but grateful for it, and squeezed him back. 

“Come on,” she said after a few moments and patted him on the back, “Your mama would probably kill me if we didn’t get our  _ one  _ job done.”

“You’re right,” The young boy sighed, “can we play more tonight after the party?” He questioned, eyes beaming at the idea.

Ellie brought herself to her feet and placed the guitar on the stand, leading the way to the door.

“Of course we can. Maybe we could play a song for your mama.” 

“She would love that!” She heard the excited voice as they made their way outside.

“She really would.”

*****

  
  
  


“So why isn’t mama cutting my hair this time?” JJ asked as they walked through the bustling town of Jackson. 

“Because Miguel came into town recently, and he used to be an  _ actual  _ barber in the old world, so it will be nice for you to get a real haircut” She replied, waving at one of the gardeners as they weaved their way through the greenhouses.

JJ skipped off in front of her, receiving several “Happy Birthdays,” from their neighbors as he went. Jackson had grown exponentially over the years. Slowly at first, but enough that they could fix up almost all of the buildings within the walls. Eventually, even expanding outside of them. Things felt a lot less intimate when you didn't feel like you knew everyone, but the people who lived close were still the same. Tommy and Maria had a harder time leading as the population passed 1,000, but they still managed with the constant help of Ellie and Dina, and a couple other people who had joined over the years.

As they turned a corner, Ellie spotted Miguel waiting outside finishing up a smoke. Miguel was in his late 50’s but definitely didn’t look even close to it with arms covered in tattoos and a solid build. From what Ellie knew of him, he was a kind, loyal man but not someone you wanted to cross.

“Hey Ellie!” Miguel smiled as they approached, flicking his cigarette away. It almost made smoking look cool, “hey JJ, Happy birthday little dude,” he said, leading them into the recently built barbers.

“Hey Miguel,” Ellie smiled, rubbing JJ’s back next to her softly “thanks again for doing this. I owe you one.”

“No need. This one’s on me. You guys have been kind enough to take me in and let me rebuild my life here, this is the least I can do,” he replied, his voice full of sincerity.

“You sure?”

“Absolutely, your little guy is in safe hands” He smiled and held out his fist to JJ, and received an enthusiastic fist bump in return.

“Alright lil man, let’s get you looking fresh” Miguel spun the chair around, and motioned for JJ to sit.

JJ looked up at Ellie with a smile, and Ellie savored the memory of her son with his scruffy hair and baby face. He was growing up faster than she could comprehend, and she wasn’t ready for him to become an adult in such a scary world.

“Go+,” Ellie smiled at her son, and ruffled his hair before nudging him towards the chair.

*****

JJ had a new pep to his step as they walked through town toward the diner after his transformational haircut. Gone was the overgrown mess from this morning, and for once it wasn’t replaced by an uneven buzz cut. Unlike Dina, Miguel actually knew what he was doing and shaped JJ’s hair into a very tasteful undercut that made him look way too grown up for Ellie’s comfort.

“Can Miguel always do my hair or would that upset mama too much?” JJ asked as they rounded the corner and the diner came into view. Ellie chuckled and shook her head.

“I don’t think mama will have a problem with it, especially when she sees how much cooler you look.”

“I do look cooler, don’t I?” JJ checked himself out in the reflection of a store they were passing with a smug look. His new found confidence was shining as they walked into the diner in search of Dina.

Ellie’s eyes scanned the crowded room until they locked with Dina’s brown ones. Her mouth 

slightly agape as she took in JJ’s new look from afar. They weaved their way through the restaurant to Dina’s table, and she immediately grabbed JJ by the shoulders and started inspecting his new do.

“You look  _ so  _ cool!” she said, ruffling his hair out of habit, causing JJ to swat her hand away and attempt to dodge her return assault.

“You’re gonna mess it up!” He protested.

“Sorry, sorry,” Dina laughed, putting her hands up in a mock surrender “Miguel did a great job, I love the new style.”

“Thanks, mom thinks it makes me look too old.”

Dina rolled her eyes and scoffed at the comment as they sat down. Ellie looked up at her with a pout and scrunched her brow.

“You know it wouldn’t kill you to ever be on my side,” she grumbled, picking up her menu and reading it  _ extra  _ closely so Dina couldn’t see her face.

The menu quickly vanished from her grasp, and she was met with Dina’s smirking face.

“Are you done with your tantrum?” she asked, Ellie huffed and snatched the menu back.

“You’re a jerk” was all Ellie could muster with a classic pout.

“And I love you too, babe,” Dina smirked with a wink, rubbing her foot against Ellie’s calf lovingly under the table.

The three ordered their lunch and chatted about the party plans for the afternoon. Dina was clearly more excited than Ellie or even JJ, but Ellie loved how it made her light up. Dina always made a big deal out of birthdays, even before they had met. She had shared with Ellie that her and Talia used to always go all out for birthdays, and so she always wants to celebrate every birthday, for anyone. ‘Always make a big deal out of birthdays, because you never know when it might be your last’ she’d said in the past.

“So JJ,” Dina cleared her throat, nudging Ellie’s foot under the table, “your mom has a patrol in the morning with Charlie, and once they’re done, she’s going to head to the farmhouse to do some repairs so we can start using it more to get a little break from Jackson sometimes… And I was thinking of taking you on a ride there so you can see the changes, and we can meet mom there. What do you say?”

“So it will be just the two of us?” JJ asked with an excited grin.

“Yeah! It will be fun. Perimeter has been clear of infected for years since we started setting up more defences, so it will be safe. And besides, it will be good practice for you to learn to be my backup.”

“And you’re okay with this?” JJ now brought his attention to Ellie. Ellie rolled her eyes, of  _ course  _ he would assume she would be the one to protest. 

“Excuse me, have you seen your parents?” Ellie pointed her finger back and forth between her and Dina, “You have learned from the best of the best. You’re a total badass just by association.”

JJ beamed at the comment and sat proud, looking back over to Dina.

“Don’t worry mama, I’ve got your back,” he winked, causing Dina to chuckle with a huge smile.

“Thanks bud, you’re the best.”

They ordered their food and JJ chatted relentlessly about all of the things he was going to do with his new presents. First and foremost, he wanted to learn a song on the guitar, and then he wanted to learn how to not throw his knife across the room when someone surprised him. Ellie and Dina were both glowing watching him talk with such excitement and animation. He was such a pure soul and brought light and laughter everywhere he went. They were absolutely biased, but truly did think he was the best kid ever, and they loved being his moms.

*****

After their meal, the trio returned to the house, where Maria and Tommy were waiting with most of the party already set up. JJ was even more ecstatic than before, and his energy only increased as the guests flowed in. It wasn’t long before the living room was filled with all of their favorite people. Tommy and Maria were obviously first, followed by Cat and her new girlfriend Leah not long after they had returned home. After them came Charlie with his now wife Megan, and their 5 year old son, Luke. Other than them, JJ’s closest friend from school had been dropped off by his parents, and Jesse’s parents, who still remained an important part of JJ’s life had congregated into their home to celebrate their favorite boy. They had their little crowd, and Ellie was happy with that. Nice and personal, and nothing too flashy.

Ellie stood in the living room and watched her son steal the room with his hilarious humor and comedy routine. One she’d heard so much that she knew the set from memory.

“He reminds me so much of you,” a voice to her right and light touch to her arm tore her from her thoughts. She turned to see a slender tattoo covered arm, which of course was connected to one of her oldest friends.

“Oh, hey Cat,” She replied with a smile, taking her eyes off of JJ for a second, “I know right? He’s definitely got Dina and Jesse’s confidence, but his hilariousness?... all me” she proudly lifted her chin.

“You cocky ass,” Cat chuckled, nudging Ellie playfully.

“So… How are you and Leah doing?” Ellie asked, she didn’t know too much about Leah apart from the fact that she had recently arrived in Jackson, and she was a big help. They just hadn’t had the chance to have a conversation long enough for her to really get to know her.

“I’m thinking of asking her to marry me.”

Ellie spun her head around so fast she almost gave herself whiplash.

“What?” She blurted out, her brain not giving her a second to think before speaking “Haven’t you guys only been dating for a couple of months?” She asked with concern for her friend.

“Because you and Dina were together for  _ so  _ long before you shacked up to play happy families,” Cat replied with a roll of her eyes, she looked back to Leah, who was sitting on the couch next to Dina and smiled softly, “and like, not to be super gay, but I just think, when you know, you know. You know?”

Ellie locked eyes with brown ones, and completely understood Cat’s thought process, nodding without hesitation. Being with Dina was the best decision she ever made, and it was all fast at first, but she didn’t regret any of that. It meant that eventually, she got to take Dina to watch the stars and drop down on one knee like some old world dork and spill her heart out, asking her to be hers forever..

“Yeah… I get it” She smiled, eventually looking back to Cat, “I’m happy for you, Cat. I really am. Keep that happiness, and don’t ever fucking let it go.”

“Fuck, Dina has relly turned you into a huge fucking sap hasn’t she?” Cat laughed and nudged Ellie’s shoulder again with her own.

“Ugh, fuck you,” she grunted and scrunched her eyebrows, Cat chuckled and rested her head on Ellie’s shoulder.

“It suits you,” Cat replied simply, and pulled herself away.

Ellie didn’t reply, instead she just smiled at her. She knew Cat was right. She was a sap, and it was  _ all  _ because of Dina and a little because of JJ, and she was so okay with that.

Ellie and Cat continued to chat for a bit before Ellie retreated to the kitchen for a quick drink refill and a moment of peace. Not long after she walked in there, Tommy and Maria sauntered into the room with smiles on their faces and drinks in their hands. 

“Party is great Ellie, ya’ll did a good job,” Tommy spoke, grunting as he sat himself down at the table.

“Thank Dina and Maria, they were the party planners,” She chuckled back, bringing her attention to the old man. “What’s wrong? Leg or back?”

“Both,” Tommy huffed.

“He’s a real grump lately,” Maria joked and pinched his shoulder, giving Ellie a good chuckle.

“I can see,” she laughed.

“Leave me alone, I am  _ not  _ a grump,” He grunted, only emphasizing Maria’s point.

“Yep… Okay,” She replied, and Maria rolled her eyes.

“Ellie, you’re on the morning patrol tomorrow morning with Charlie right?” Maria asked.

“Yeah we’re taking the alpine trails, and then we're gonna split up at the old gas station , and I’m gonna head to the farmhouse, and Charlie will head back to Jackson,” She confirmed, “then Dina is going to bring JJ to meet me there.”

“Oh yes, that’s right. And you think JJ will be okay?”

“Fuck yeah, he’ll do great. It’s only a couple miles from Jackson, and well within the safe zone. Plus, there’s been no sign of infected within the perimeter for years after all the traps Dina organized. He’s gotta learn how to be outside of these walls someday right?” Ellie shrugged.

“You’re absolutely right,” Tommy replied from the corner, sitting himself up straight ”Most kids his age outside Jackson have already seen much worse than the Jackson perimeter, and his father was a great man, I can already see Jesse’s strong qualities in that young boy. On top of that, add Dina’s strength, and Ellie’s skills… well shit, that kid is already a fighter.”

“Well I don’t disagree with you there,” Maria nodded with her arms crossed.

“Hey babe?” Dina’s voice tore Ellie from their conversation. Ellie looked to the doorway, and saw Dina standing there, looking beautiful as ever.

“What’s up?” Ellie replied, biting her bottom lip with a smile.

“Charlie and Megan are leaving, come say goodbye.”

“Oh shit, okay I’m coming,” Ellie nodded to Maria and Tommy with a smile as she followed her wife into the hallway.

“Hey Ellie, sorry we have to leave so soon. This little guy really has to take a nap,” Charlie spoke as he adjusted a sleepy Luke on his hip.

“Hey, it’s all good man! Thank you both for coming, JJ really loves Luke.”

“It makes me want another one,” Dina swooned and kissed Ellie on the cheek.

Ellie’s eyes shot open wide, and her cheeks went bright red causing Charlie and Megan to burst into laughter at her clear shock.

“Don’t give her a heart attack, Dina,” Megan joked.

“I don't know, I think she would love it all over again if I got pregnant,” Dina laughed, getting a kick out of making Ellie freak out.

“If you got pregnant again, we’d have to have some serious words,” Ellie replied sternly, causing the group to howl with laughter before saying their final goodbyes.

As the door closed behind the trio, Ellie stole a quick kiss from Dina and a nibble to her ear before turning to make her way into the living room.

“...and apparently, when you’re on Mars the sunset looks blue,” JJ enthusiastically talked Cat and Leah’s ears off, and the two looked genuinely engrossed in his stories. Ellie smiled to herself as she found a place to mingle and watched her son with pride.

The guests congregated into the living room, and as the afternoon wore down into evening, the last straggles of their guests made their departure. JJ was glowing, with a few more nice gifts from the party guests, and his eyes were red rimmed with exhaustion. 

After the last guest left, Ellie and Dina slumped themselves onto the sofa with a loud exhale, ready to just relax.

“Mom?” JJ’s voice echoed through the house from the backdoor, “Can I go and get my guitar?”

“Of course spud,” She replied smiling and closing her eyes.

“He was so excited about that earlier, he wouldn’t stop talking about it,” Dina chuckled. 

“I do good?” Ellie lifted her head and turned to look at Dina.

“You did amazing” She smiled, before taking Ellie’s hands into her own.

“Oh yeah, I’m a rockstar!” JJ strolled back into the living room, guitar in his hands as he strummed the strings loudly.

“Oh boy,” Dina laughed inwardly and slid further into the couch. 

“Gotta learn to play before you can take the rockstar title,” Ellie teased, earning a tired elbow from Dina.

“So teach me then,” JJ stated, plopping himself on the coffee table in front of his parents, eager to learn.

“Alright then,” Ellie grabbed the nearest guitar, one she kept on the wall of the living room, and sat down in front of her son. Images of the first time she sat down with Joel to learn flashed through her mind, and her chest filled with warmth at his memory. It took time to not only feel pain when she thought of him, but she tried, and sometimes, it meant she got to share parts of him with the people who meant most to her. She smiled at JJ, Joel still in her mind, and put her hands into position on the guitar, “let’s get started.”

*****

A little while later, the last of JJ’s adrenaline seemed to be wearing off, and his head was starting to droop closer and closer to the fretboard as he tried to remember where his fingers went. Every so often he would catch himself and shake himself awake, but Ellie knew if she didn’t stop him soon it wouldn’t be long before he slumped face first onto the floor. 

“How about we play a song for mama and then we’ll all head to bed? Big day tomorrow,” Ellie spoke, giving JJ an excited smile.

“I think I like the sound of that,” Dina chimed in, with her eyes closed, buried in the sofa half asleep.

“Ready?” Ellie asked, JJ perked up and nodded his head, and in sync, the two played a simple melody for Dina. 

It was only the first part of an already short song, and some of the notes still buzzed a little bit, but when JJ saw the small smile on Dina’s face, his own lit up and he didn’t stop talking about how on track he was to being a rockstar until he was tucked into bed and ready for sleep.

*****

After cleaning up the remnants of the party, Ellie flicked the lightswitch and dived into the bed, begging Dina to warm her cold feet.

“You’re lucky I love you,” Dina stated tiredly as she tucked Ellie’s feet between her legs to help warm her up.

“I really am,” Ellie mumbled into Dina’s neck, planting soft kisses on the warm skin, eventually letting the kisses her tongue drift across the skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake. Dina’s breath hitched and she let out a low hum that vibrated Ellie’s lips.

“Hmm, that feels really good,” she whispered. 

Ellie pulled herself back to look her wife in the eyes and smiled softly. 

  
“I love you,” Ellie whispered back, and Dina’s lips were on hers and she was pulling Ellie on top of her, fingers weaving through her hair. Dina pulled away for a moment, and then  _ her  _ lips were on  _ Ellie’s  _ neck, and the world around her ceased to exist as she melted into the familiar touch. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> First of all, thank you all so much for your kind words and kudos! It is highly appreciated and keeps us writing!
> 
> I just wanted to add a quick note here to let you all know that this story is a joint effort, my wife, GloryMorgan, and I are writing this together so everything you read is from both of us! That being said, we do have the story largely planned out, and about four chapters written at this point. We won't be posting this frequently all the time, but are hoping to follow a once a week (probably Sundays) schedule from here on out. Nothing is set in stone, but it's looking like we'll have about 25 chapters by the end of this! We're very excited to tell this story for some of our absolute favorite characters, and are grateful for anyone who takes the time to read it! 
> 
> Enjoy!

November 12th 2048

Dina

Dina stretched her arms out, feeling the familiar disappointment wash over her that always did when her hands met cold sheets. She cracked open her eyes and confirmed that Ellie was indeed gone, probably for hours judging by the bright sun beaming in through the window. It wasn’t unusual for Ellie to be gone to work by the time Dina woke up, but she hated it just as much every morning. She much preferred the lazy days of waking up to cuddles with her wife, ones inevitably interrupted by a sleepy JJ who could never let them have a good morning cuddle without getting some for himself. 

Today though, Ellie left before the sun was up, and Dina had work to do before her and JJ could get on the road, so she forced her sleep laden body out from under the warmth of the duvet and swung her legs over the side of the bed, letting her feet adjust to the cold floor before standing up with a drawn out stretch. She listened for any sign of life from JJ’s room as she made her way out of her own bedroom, but heard nothing and made her way downstairs. 

As she reached the kitchen, her eyebrows furrowed as she noticed a note laid face up on the marble island with tin can resting on top. She walked over and examined the letter, not paying attention to the can itself, and read the note.

_ “Found this on my last sweep, totally forgot to give it to you. I hope this makes you smile… even though it’s still gross.  _

_ Love you babe. See you soon. _

_ E x” _

Dina put the note to her chest for a moment before setting it down and picking up the tin can, smiling softly to herself at Ellie’s simple thoughtful actions. With building anticipation she carefully peeled back the plastic lid, and the smell invaded her senses before she even saw what was inside. A beaming smile broke out on her face as she brought the can closer, inhaling deeply and savoring the rich smell. It was almost entirely full with beautiful dark brown coffee, a luxury she hadn’t been able to find for  _ months.  _ Ellie had definitely won herself herself brownie points this time. 

Her mood was instantly brightened by the thoughtful gesture, and soon Dina was humming her favorite songs while brewing herself a well deserved cup of joe. She went through each of her carefully planned out steps with precision, ensuring that she made the  _ perfect  _ cup of coffee, and not a single granule would be wasted. Ellie could sing and play guitar and paint, but coffee was Dina’s art form, and she was damn good at making it. 

After her coffee was brewed to her standards, she took her cup and padded her bare feet over to the living room. She glanced at the clock and was thankful for getting up so early, and that she was able to take some time to relax before JJ got up. Not that she didn’t like it when he was up, but she was definitely thankful for the alone time. She rarely got any time to herself these days with all the help she had been providing Maria and Tommy with the new settlers that had recently arrived, and JJ’s birthday planning on top of it all.

She sat back into the armchair with her knees pulled up to her chest, hugging them loosely with her coffee in hand, steam rising from the mug. The silence and the smell was soothing, and she closed her eyes and took everything in, making a mental note to take more time like this for herself.

After a little while, Dina glanced over at the clock and her eyes almost shot out of their sockets when she realized it was already a little after nine, and she still hadn’t heard any movement upstairs. And JJ was  _ not  _ a happy camper when he was woken up in a rush. Dina quickly made her way to the kitchen and placed her empty mug in the sink before heading upstairs to wake the beast, hoping he would already be up and she wouldn’t have to be the one to wake him.

As she reached her son's room, she held her breath as she opened the door with a light knock and peeked her head in, letting out a defeated sigh and dropping her head when she saw JJ’s sleeping form. The disappointment was short lived though, her heart filling with warmth instead as she took in his chosen sleeping position: hands above his head like a dancer and legs dangling off the side of the bed, and mouth wide open with drool drying on his cheek. She slowly made her way over and sat down on his bed, running her hand through his now short hair lovingly until he slowly started opening his eyes, squinting from the sun beaming into his room.

“Hey you,” Dina whispered, her smile big and gentle.

“What time is it?” JJ responded, his voice raspy and delayed.

“It’s just after nine in the morning my love, but we’ve gotta get going soon. Gotta get some supplies for our trip, remember?” She smiled, still running her fingers through his hair to help him wake up.

JJ beamed at her words, his sleepy mind obviously having forgotten about their plan to take a trip to the farmhouse.

“I’m so excited,” he breathed, stretching every muscle that he could from his lying position.

“Me too,” She laughed and brought herself to her feet “I’m going to jump in the shower and quickly get ready. Can you get yourself dressed? There’s leftover pancakes in the fridge. If you’re fast enough, you can have some before we leave.”

She had hit the jackpot with her words, because before she could even finish her sentence, JJ was out of his bed and scrambling through his closet for something to wear. She chuckled to herself and sauntered into her own room, leaving him to it.

Wasting no time, Dina dropped her clothes and stepped into her shower, letting the warm water cleanse her body. She was actually more excited about this day than she had realized, and it was also a bigger deal than she had let herself realize. Her baby was going out… in the wild. Yes, he would be with Dina, but still it was a big deal. The last time JJ had been on the other side of the walls of Jackson was when Dina arrived back, alone, all those years ago. But now the world was different. It was still a shit hole, and the world still was run by infected, but at least where they were, it was safer. It wasn’t New Mexico, it wasn’t Boston, it wasn’t Seattle. It was Jackson, and it was much more manageable now. 

She jumped out of the shower and her body was instantly covered in goosebumps from the late fall chill. She quickly dried herself off before padding her naked body over to their walk-in closet and dressing in her underwear, a pair of jeans, and one of Ellie’s old hoodies. After throwing on an old pair of boots, she scurried back to the bathroom and checked herself out in the mirror before throwing her hair up in a neat bun. She felt a burst of confidence as she stared at her reflection. Her and Ellie had been working out a lot more recently, both in  _ and  _ out of the bedroom, and it was definitely showing at this moment. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and headed downstairs, grabbing her holster from the bedside table and wrapping it around her thigh as she left.

Dina reached the kitchen and chuckled as she watched JJ cleaning up his plate.

“Jeez, you’ve eaten them already? You’re quick!”

“Mom says I’m just a growing boy, so It’s okay that I eat fast.” JJ smiled proudly, causing Dina to roll her eyes playfully

“Well, it doesn’t hurt to pace yourself once in a while,” She snickered “You don’t want to get yourself sick.”

“You worry too much, Mama.” JJ tilted his head, suddenly looking like he was parenting her. 

“Oh shut it, you,” Dina nudged his shoulder and noticed he was only wearing a t-shirt. “Go upstairs and grab a sweatshirt, it’s not summer you know? You’ll catch a cold if you don’t wear one.”

“My point is proven!” He called as he jogged upstairs, following his mother’s orders.

  
  


*****

  
  


Dina shielded the late morning sun from her eyes as she and JJ walked through Jackson, and JJ’s excitement seemed to double with every step he took. It was nearly 10am, and Ellie would be getting to the farm house around noon, so they were heading to town for some last minute preparations before they left themselves. Though they weren’t in dire need, Dina was going through the process of preparing to leave Jackson as if they were going much farther than they actually were. If nothing else, it would teach JJ more about what he needed to survive in the world that would take any opportunity to swallow him up. True, the odds of him actually facing danger just outside the Jackson city limits were pretty slim, but she was sure one day JJ would venture out beyond their safe zone, and she wanted him to be ready. 

That was part of the reason they were fixing up the farm house, an opportunity to get out of Jackson more and give JJ something more than what he’d always known. After Ellie returned to Jackson, it wasn’t long before another couple moved into the farm house, and then another after them. It was recycled as a couple new families passed through, while Dina, Ellie, and JJ stayed comfortable in Jackson, content in their lives there. But the most recent family had moved into the farmhouse was there for years, and had recently packed up and moved on to a new town, and so the house stood empty, and in a sad state of disrepair due to harsh neglect from the previous tenants. It took some coercion, but when Dina heard that the house was empty again, she did manage to convince Ellie that they should fix it up and think about using it themselves again. They loved their life in Jackson, but Dina still longed for the simple life of waking up every morning to her wife and her son, looking out at the endless fields (now littered with a few more houses, and a lot more crops), and living a simple life of self sufficiency. Jackson had grown so much over the years, expanding within the walls, and then outside of them; and with the population now well over 1,000, it was thriving. But for Dina, the more the town expanded, the less it felt like home. They weren’t certain about a full move yet, as JJ had friends and school, and they had work, and commuting in wouldn’t be ideal no matter how safe it was. But, with the safe zone being what it was, it did make it a possibility, and the more they entertained the idea, the more appealing it became. Nothing was set in stone yet, and with winter quickly approaching, today would likely be their last time out there for a while, so for now, Dina was content with the little slices of farm life she’d been able to conjure up, and she held onto the hope that they’d be back there again one day. 

JJ bounced on the balls of his feet as they entered the ammo shop that had been erected next to the blacksmith, and quickly ran to the back of the small room where a display case sat. He peered over the display of large knives, big brown eyes wide with wonder. 

“Don’t get any ideas, that switch blade is already a liability in your hands, we don’t need to get you anything bigger,” Dina spoke in JJ’s direction as she headed towards the bullets. She grabbed a tin can from the stack on the corner of the table and rolled her eyes at his attempt to ignore her, “you gonna help me pick out some ammo? It is why we’re here after all,” she asked after a few moments, JJ’s eyes still glued to the glass in front of him. His head snapped around and he sulked, but made his way obediently over to Dina’s side. 

“Mama, there was a knife bigger than my whole arm in there,” he said, eyes wide with wonder, and arm extended to emphasize the length. 

Dina chuckled and scooped a handful of 9mm rounds from the barrel on the table into her tin, “bigger isn’t always better if you don’t know how to use it.” The man behind the counter caught Dina’s eye and chuckled at that before turning back to the comic in front of him.

“But if you have a big enough knife you don’t  _ have  _ to know how to use it,” JJ argued, Dina considered it for a moment, but shook her head and handed him the tin of 9mms.

“Not always buddy, still gotta have the skill to get the kill,” she winked at him and then internally cringed at how much she sounded like Ellie as she made her way over to the selection of arrows and other projectiles, stepping around an older woman to get a closer look at some new bowstring for Ellie, “and anyway, today we’re just taking the horse and riding the old Alpine Trail, nothing dangerous for miles, and definitely nothing you’ll need to take down with a knife as big as your arm.”

“But if there  _ is  _ anything dangerous I get to be your backup?” He asked, eyes wide again. Dina chuckled and nodded her head as she inspected a package of string. 

“Of course, you can fight off anything we face with nothing but your switchblade and your might,” She flexed her arms for emphasis and JJ nodded, attempting to hold the bullets in one hand and demonstrate his finesse, but only succeeding in dumping half of the container onto the neighboring lady’s foot. He quickly squatted down, stammering apologies and scooping the bullets back into his hands. 

“That’s alright, no harm, no foul,” the lady said, smiling down at JJ as he stood up with a sheepish grin on his face, her smile faltering when she met his eyes. 

“I’m going on my first patrol today,” JJ beamed at the woman. Dina laughed and put her hand on his shoulder. 

“More of a long stroll than a patrol, but it’s our first time out just the two of us, so he’s excited,” Dina clarified, JJ looked up at her unimpressed, and the woman just stared at her with wide eyes. “ _ Okay then _ ,” Dina trailed off, setting her package of bowstring on top of the bullets in the container JJ was holding. Just another reason Dina wanted to move to the farm house, with the expanding population, she didn’t know everyone anymore, it sometimes made her feel like a stranger in her own home. They turned to walk away and Dina glanced behind her as they went, unsettled by the woman’s stare. “Weirdo,” she mumbled under her once they were out of earshot of the woman. JJ giggled beside her, and she elbowed him softly, shushing him before the lady could catch on. 

“Okay,” she said to JJ as they handed their items to the man behind the counter, he pushed his comic to the side and started weighing the bullets on a small scale in front of him. “So we got our ammo stocked up, got Mom some new string for her bow so you guys can practice some shooting later this week, and after we finish here we just have to pop in to see if Tommy has the new hardware for the barn door ready yet and then we can grab Japan and go.”

“Can’t I take my own horse?” he asked, staring up at her with hopeful brown eyes. Dina smiled gently at JJ and handed over some coins to the shopkeeper to cover the cost. 

“Not this time, maybe another day when me and Mom can both take you.”

JJ groaned, “fine but can I at least be the one to ride Japan, and you sit behind me?”

“No, my love. I need you to be my backup remember? I'll focus on the ride, and you’ll be my eyes and ears okay?”

“Okay, fine,” he shrugged, Dina could tell he was bummed.

“But I tell you what,” she pulled him closer and placed her hand on his shoulder “if you can show me how responsible you are today… then maybe I’ll let you ride Japan on the way back, and you can take the reins, okay?”

“Okay I'm gonna be on my  _ best  _ behavior, I promise!”

“Okay.”

Dina placed all of her items into her backpack and flung it across her back, and led JJ out, continuing their chores for the morning.

As they reached Tommy and Maria’s house, she knocked on the door and opened it, letting herself and JJ inside.

“Hey Tommy?” Dina called from the hallway, peeking into empty rooms, looking for the older man.

“In here!” Tommy’s southern voice echoed through the halls from the dining room.

She and JJ made their way through to the large room and watched Tommy looking over a bunch of scattered papers, scratching his head.

“Hey,” Dina smiled as JJ ran over to give Tommy a bear hug, like he always did, “Whatcha doing there?” she asked, eyebrows raised pointing at the papers.

“Ugh, I’m working on a new rotation schedule,” Tommy sighed deeply, “we’ve got so many people here now, and a lot of them willing to work, I just gotta get a darn schedule set,” he shuffled through the papers and threw them back down with a huff. “I’ll do that later. What can I do for ya?”

“We’re just about to head out to the farmhouse, was checking to see if that hardware was ready yet? Ellie’s going to get the door put on finally.”

“Oh yeah, that's right!” Tommy smiled and glanced over at JJ, “how you feeling big man?”

“Excited,” JJ smiled bright

“You be careful out there, ya hear me?” Tommy got up from his seat and hobbled over to the young boy, placing his hand on JJ’s shoulder, “and you take good care of your mother, okay? You’re growing up now and have to learn how to protect her,” he said, and quickly corrected himself after catching Dina’s unimpressed expression, “not that she needs protecting, of course.”

JJ giggled and nodded his head, “you got it, uncle Tommy, “he said, sticking out his fist for Tommy to bump it. 

Tommy looked back and forth to Dina and JJ in confusion. 

“What’s he doing?” He asked Dina, causing her to laugh.

“Ellie recently taught him about fist bumping”

“Oh, of course she did,” He chuckled and bumped his fist against JJ’s. “Let me get that hardware for you, Dina,” he spoke while entering a conjoining room, disappearing from sight.

A few moments later, Tommy was back with hardware in hand and passed it over to Dina. She quickly threw it into her backpack and straightened herself out. 

“Thank you, Tommy. We should get going,” She said, almost feeling bad for leaving him alone with his frustrating task “but maybe myself or Ellie could come by soon and help you with that schedule?”

“Yeah, maybe. Thanks, Dina,” He smiled, “be safe out there guys.”

“You know we always are,” she smiled, and with that, the two were on their way.

****

“Alright, we’ve got our ammo, we’ve been to Tommy’s, now what?” Dina quizzed her son, as they made their way through the town toward the stables.

“So now we go and get Japan from the stables,” He smiled, knowing his answer was right. But Dina saw his smile turn into a curious frown, “I just thought, why can’t we take a car?”

“Because the cars are for actual patrols and other jobs, and we’re not going on an actual patrol or doing any special work, so we can take Japan.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” JJ’s frown softened, and his joy returned when they were in sight of the stables. “So once we get Japan, we’re going to take the Alpine trails, but because we’re going to the farm, we turn off at the old gas station and head,” he paused and pursed his lips in thought, “west?” He asked, unsure.

Dina was impressed by how well he had memorized the map that Ellie had drawn out for him only yesterday. She smiled big when she realized that he must have studied it all night.

“Close, North. But either way, I think you’re ready.” 

“You really think so?” He asked, jumping up and down in excitement, “I swear, I’m gonna be the best patrol partner you’ve ever had, apart from mom.” 

He started swinging his (thankfully closed) switchblade as they walked, stabbing invisible enemies in the street, showing off his skills to his mother. 

“Careful dude,” Dina admonished, “It’s closed, but it’s still a knife.”

“Sorry mama,” He blushed and skipped in front of her, “I’m just  _ so  _ excited!”

Just as JJ shouted ‘excited’, he did an uncoordinated spin and stumbled backwards into an unsuspecting passerby. His face turned bright red as he stammered out an apology, throwing his head into his hands when the man continued walking, chuckling and tipping his hat at JJ as he went. 

Dina rolled her eyes, but placed a comforting hand on JJ’s shoulder. “You see? If that knife was open, you might have accidentally hurt that poor man.”

“I know, you’re right, I’m sorry,” JJ sighed, placing his switchblade back in his pocket, “mom did say I need to practice more spaceness.”

Dina cocked an eyebrow and snorted, “More ‘spaceness’?” she questioned, to which JJ replied with an eager nod.

“Yeah, she said that I have to have better spaceness so that when I swing, I don’t miss.”

Dina giggled again,  _ ‘spaceness’ _ , ‘ _ spatial awareness’ _ , who was she to correct him?

“I think you’ll have better spaceness than me before you know it,” she smiled as they reached the stables, greeting Mike, who was on check-in duty, with a smile and a nod.

“Hey Mike, we’re just checking out Japan for a few hours,” she said as they signed hers and JJ’s names into the logbook. 

“She’s all saddled up and ready for you in stall four.” Mike replied

“Thanks, Mike.” JJ nodded cooly. Dina wanted to let out a laugh at his attempt at sounding grown up, but held it in so she didn’t embarrass him. She watched him walk with confidence, and smiled, dog earring the memory to tell Ellie about it later.

They reached Japan within seconds, and once he was out of his stall, Dina let JJ led him down to the gate. When they reached their destination, Dina mounted her horse with one swift motion, pulling JJ up behind her.

She nodded to the gatesman to open the gate, and called behind her, “you ready?”

JJ tightened his grip around her waist and nodded against her back, “ready.” he replied.

With one quick ‘yah!’ and a light kick to the horse with her heel, Japan lurched forward into the outside world. He started at a steady gallop, and as they got into the trees he slowed down to a canter. They weren’t far into their journey when Dina realized JJ hadn’t said a word since they left Jackson.

“How’s it going back there?” She asked

“Good,” his voice was small, as if he wasn’t paying attention to her words “just looking around. It’s so open out here.”

“I know baby, it’s a big place. I want you to be my eyes and ears okay?”

“What should I be looking for, Mama?”

“Anything really, look for anything that catches your eye. Could be an animal or anything, you just let me know if you see or hear anything okay?” She asked, keeping her own eyes peeled.

“Okay Mama,” JJ replied, “Oh look! There’s a rabbit!” his small arm pointed to a grey rabbit hopping by. She pulled the reins slightly, slowing Japan down so they could get a better view.

“Good eye,” She replied, reaching behind to squeeze his thigh slightly.

They continued on and Dina became more and more impressed with her son's ability to spot more animals running through the woods on either side of them, every chance he got he was pointing out deer, foxes, and rabbits, getting more excited with each one he saw. As they were about to round a sharp corner, Dina suddenly felt JJ tighten his grip around her waist, and heard the sound of birds fleeing from their perch in a nearby tree. 

“Mama? Did you hear that?” 

“It was just birds flying away, honey.” Dina reassured her son.

“No, before the birds.” His voice turned into a whisper, and Dina pulled Japan to a halt. She looked around slowly and couldn’t hear anything but the sound of birds chirping amongst themselves in the trees.

The world suddenly felt like it was moving in slow motion when the sound of a twig snapping behind her sent goosebumps through her body. She went to spin her head around, but wasn’t given the chance when she was thrown from her horse with a sharp excruciating pain in her shoulder. Beads of sweat immediately consumed her in a panic.  _ Fuck fuck fuck fuck.  _ She hit the floor with a thud, her shoulder burning at what felt like a thousand degrees, and she quickly glanced over to her shoulder and saw an arrow sticking through. Her ears were ringing, but somewhere in the distance she could hear screams, JJ’s screams. 

_ Where the fuck is JJ? What the fuck is happening? This wasn’t supposed to happen. This wasn’t supposed to fucking happen. JJ. I need to get JJ. _

Panic immediately settled in her stomach, and she fumbled for her gun but was stopped in her tracks by Japan rearing up onto his hind legs, towering over her, she faintly registered that JJ wasn’t on his back, but her head was spinning. What the fuck was on that arrow? Why was everything  _ spinning  _ so much? Before Japan’s front legs could touch the ground, an arrow pierced through his neck, sending a warm splash of blood onto Dina’s face, and his screech died in his throat. 

She watched as his legs buckled underneath him, and his broken body came crashing down over her before she could react. The weight of her steed stole the air from her lungs as her fragile body was crushed beneath him. The arrow in her shoulder tore through her as she writhed beneath the horse and her shoulder erupted into fiery pain. 

“ _ FUCK _ ,” she gasped, trying to push the horse off of her, trying not to think about her animal companion being dead. The pain was becoming more unbearable by the second, and the world around her was spinning beyond her control. She held her breath as she continued to struggle under the weight of Japan, her head glancing around her in search of her son. The world was spinning more and more with each movement, and everything was turning into a blur.

_ Where the fuck is JJ?  _ She forced herself to keep her eyes open as the darkness pushed down around her, desperate for a glimpse of him. She had to protect him. She tried to call his name, the air in her lungs prevented her. The open world suddenly felt like it was closing in on her when she heard a sharp scream.

“Get the fuck off me!” Her son's voice echoed through the trees, Dina’s head snapped to where she heard the noise from, and she managed to get enough strength to yell out his name, but before she could get out the second syllable, her head spun even more than before, and her vision went black. She heard another moment of scuffling before the rest of her body went numb as well, and the world faded to nothing.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> Thank you once again for your kindness and support, writing these stories is so much more fun knowing that there are people out there enjoying them!
> 
> Our sincerest apologies for any distress caused by last week's cliffhanger, but we hope that this chapter is adequate compensation and that you hang with us through this story because we are so excited to write it and really can't wait to share it all with you!
> 
> Enjoy!

November 12th 2048

Ellie

  
  


“You know, these patrols are starting to get boring,” Charlie sighed as he dismounted his horse to search the long deserted store.

“Oh, I’m sorry if my company bores you,” Ellie scoffed, teasing in her tone, “you know you can ask to switch patrol partners any time, right?”

“Shut up, asshole,” Charlie turned around and glared at a smirking Ellie, “I can barely stand  _ you  _ and you’re my best friend. I’d be fucked if I had to do this with anyone else, I might have to kick your ass for even putting that into the universe.” 

“Kick my ass?” Ellie scoffed, “you’d be lucky to get in one hit,” she shrugged him off as she half-heartedly searched her surroundings, opening a drawer here and a cabinet there, but ultimately finding nothing. 

“Are… Are you joking?” Charlie responded, exasperated, slamming a drawer a little harder than he must have intended judging by the small jump he tried to hide. He turned back to Ellie with a smirk on his face, “I would have you down in  _ seconds. _ ”

“Oh you think? Okay, let’s find out,” she playfully squared up to her friend.

Over the years, Ellie and Charlie had become quite the duo on their patrols. They were paired together often enough that it was somewhat inevitable that they’d become close friends. He was funny, he laughed at her jokes, and they got to nerd out over Savage Starlight, something both of their better halves despised. He was also a really good shot, and had saved her ass from infected a few more times than she’d admit to anyone else. He also had an uncanny ability to spot when Ellie was about to be a dumbass, and stop her from making stupid choices. He reminded her a lot of Jesse in that respect, always what she needed to keep her head out of her ass. Though, as helpful as he was, he was also an idiot, she had to remind herself as she watched him across the room, attempting to search a tall shelf by stepping on a very clearly rotting wooden box. His foot predictably went straight through the crate and he stumbled forward a couple of steps, managing to catch himself before he tumbled to the floor. He quickly stood up straight and brushed himself off, looking hesitantly towards Ellie to see if she had seen his tumble.

Ellie smirked to let him know that,  _ yes she had, _ and he shook his head as he walked towards her, a faint flush on his cheeks, “let’s go asshole!” he chuckled, swiftly attempting to grab Ellie into a headlock.

In one motion, Ellie threw out her leg and tripped the younger man in his tracks before grabbing his flailing arms and twisting him, throwing him down to the floor and pinning him down as soon as his back connected with the ground. He laid there with a shocked look on his face, and Ellie found herself doubling over in fits of laughter. 

“What was that, Chuck? ‘ _ I would have you down in seconds...’”  _ She mocked him teasingly, just as he would have definitely done to her, cocking her brow with pure confidence. She was actually quite surprised at how easily she did take him down, but would  _ never  _ admit that to him. 

“I slipped,” Charlie spoke through a light cough, attempting to brush off his embarrassment.

“Sure you did,” Ellie tightened her thin lipped smile and offered him a hand to help him to his feet. He grudgingly accepted and got to his feet, “see? Patrols are still fun!” 

“Whatever,” Charlie smiled back, and rolled his eyes dramatically, “what I meant was… I don’t know… I just miss the drama, I guess. The rush of a real fight.””

“You  _ miss  _ the drama?” She asked back, giving him an incredulous look. The world they lived in now had calmed down to an extent, at least around Jackson, it was peaceful and undisturbed. Just as she, and almost everyone else in Jackson, liked it. 

“Yes! I mean of course I don’t miss constantly fighting off infected, or chasing off bandits. But I don’t know… I miss the adrenaline every now and then,” he shrugged and trailed off. His words really rubbed her the wrong way. She knew he didn’t mean any harm, and he was just being stupid, but she couldn’t fathom why  _ anyone  _ would want to have something ruin this blissful, well deserved peace.

“That’s kinda fucked up,” she sighed “careful what you wish for, buddy. After all the shit I’ve been through, I’m relishing in life with zero drama.”

“Yeah I know you’re right. I’m sorry to be such a downer, I just feel like there's no spice in my life at the moment,” he replied, his face looking defeated “which probably has more to do with the fact that I haven’t had sex in  _ months  _ than the not so sudden lack of action out here _ , _ ” He said, fidgeting with an old figurine on a shelf. Ellie’s only response was an overly dramatized gagging sound. 

“Come on, El! I need to talk to someone about this. Please?” Charlie pleaded, and she gave in with a shake of her head, feeling bad for her friend.

“Fine, fine!” Ellie sighed and continued searching through empty cabinets, knowing damn well there wouldn’t be anything of use in them, but she was trying to avoid a less than comfortable conversation, and she was certainly failing.

As she bent down to check a lower cabinet, Charlie’s words replayed in her head. She immediately shot up, almost smacking her head on the counter in the process, and looked at him with a mixture of concern and shock on her face.

“Wait…  _ Months?! _ ”

“Yes! I swear, I’ve got the bluest balls ever.”

“Ew, do they actually go blue?” Ellie trailed off with curiosity.

“Dude! No!”

“Well I don’t know, I don’t have a dick!” She held her arms up in surrender. “Why haven’t you had sex?”

“I have no idea. We’re both just in different places mentally right now. Like, whenever I want it, Meg’s not in the mood, but whenever she wants it, then I’m not in the mood.”

“Jesus, Charlie. Get your shit together!” She yelled, his face shocked from her outburst, “ _ not in the mood _ ,” she mocked with an eye roll, “you’re a guy, you should always be in the mood. And a good sex life is essential for a healthy marriage.”

He scoffed and rolled his eyes, “right okay just because i’m a guy doesn’t mean i’m always in the mood. And how often do you and Dina do it anyways if your marriage is so healthy? I’m sure you can’t be doing much better than me, I heard lesbians never have sex after they get married anyways.” 

“Dude, I am  _ not  _ telling you about my sex life.”

“Oh come on, Ellie! Spill”

“No, you weirdo,” she said brushing him off and shutting the closet she was looking in, ”but I will say,” she said, turning to look at Charlie with a smirk, “we have a  _ very  _ healthy marriage,” she winked and smiled smugly at her friend who was now looking a little flushed.

It was amusing watching the cogs turn in Charlie’s mind, and it wasn’t even a lie. Even almost a decade in, she and Dina still couldn’t keep their hands off of each other. With JJ around and actual adult lives to see to it was a little trickier, but that just led them to explore more interesting options; and when they were desperate, they could get  _ very  _ creative. 

“You’re no fun.” Charlie huffed and jumped down from the counter, catching himself steady on his feet before leaving the store and continuing their patrol.

“I’m sure Dina would say the opposite,” she simply replied, sending a smug look in Charlie’s direction. He rolled his eyes and increased his pace, Ellie following behind with a giggle.

The two searched the rest of the town, with nothing suspicious or valuable in sight. Sometimes she wondered why they even still  _ had  _ these patrols. It was so rare that they found anything within fifteen miles of Jackson in any direction it hardly felt worth their time. But, it was something to do, and on the off chance that there  _ was  _ ever a threat, they could always stop it long before it got to Jackson. 

They searched the last few standing houses in the town, and as Ellie kicked around a pile of mostly illegible magazines, she came across a treasure. She snickered to herself as she picked up the bright red magazine, and offered it up to Charlie, “this one will be a lifesaver for you,” she laughed, handing the porno over to him. He took it with a curious look on his face, before getting a glimpse of what it actually was and promptly chucking it across the room. 

“Funny,” he said, unamused. Ellie tried, and failed, to hold in her laughter, and was in hysterics by the time they made it outside. 

As they walked towards their horses, the heat of the sun pounding down on her shoulders almost had Ellie convinced it was summer, despite the crisp November air. She checked her watch and noticed it was nearing 10.30am; they’d been at it for hours, and she wouldn’t mind getting a head start at the house before Dina and JJ showed up, so she called out to Charlie, who was still moping several paces ahead of her “hey, I think we’re okay to wrap up here. Let’s get out of this garbage town.”

“Yeah, fuck this place,” he agreed, “let’s go.” 

The duo made it over to their horses and mounted them in silence before making their way back towards Jackson, neither speaking a word until they approached the gas station almost twenty minutes later. 

“Alright, man. This is me.” She gave him a smile, pulling Apollo to a halt outside the station, “talk to your wife, Charlie. Tell her how you’re feeling, trust me it will help. Take some time for just you two, okay? Dina and I can look after Luke anytime you know?”

“Thanks, Ellie,” Charlie smiled back at her “I think I’ll take you up on that offer soon.”

“Well make it sooner rather than later, because you’re getting grumpier by the minute, I can hardly stand being around you. Like, you really just need to get laid, yesterday.” She teased Charlie who stuck his middle finger up with a smile.

“Fuck off to the farmhouse, asshole.”

“See you later, loverboy!” She winked and kicked her horse gently, urging it toward her destination.

*****

  
  
  


Ellie arrived at the farmhouse in no time, and immediately put herself to work. She started by straightening a falling fence that she had noticed on her ride in, making sure it was nice and sturdy before she made her way into the house. As she headed inside, she stopped by the still immobile tractor and rubbed her hands over the rusting metal. She could still feel the weight of JJ in her arms as she sat on the seat with him in her lap, looking out at the endless hills and somehow always ending up thinking of Joel. She’d try to tell JJ about him, about how he taught her to swim and play guitar, and all the movies he showed her. Any time she tried to tell him the real stuff, like how Joel was the one person who never fucking left her, she’d clam up, and wind up handing him off to Dina before the pain took over. When talking about Joel became too difficult to even attempt, she started telling him about Jessie. She told him how great of a dad he would’ve been, if not a little bit of a helicopter, and how he was one of the bravest guys she knew. Jessie was an easier subject, but her heart still grew heavier with guilt every time she talked about him, and it wasn’t long before she stopped trying to talk about them at all. Dina was better at telling stories anyways. So Ellie stuck to what she knew, and she spent the time on the tractor with her potato singing simple songs and enjoying the easy life they had. 

That was one of the reasons Ellie was so willing to get the farmhouse back up and running again after years of putting it off. She was ready for the simplicity of sitting on her broken tractor enjoying the view, and playing some songs. For a long time after returning from Santa Barbara, the house held too much pain for her and Dina to consider returning, but after so much time they were ready for at least a little piece of the life they had before, even if it wasn’t all the time. 

A gust of wind sent a shiver down her spine and she stepped away from the tractor, shaking off the chill as she hiked her bag up on her shoulder and made her way into the house. As soon as she was inside, she got to work building a fire to warm the place up before Dina and JJ could arrive. After a respectable sized fire was roaring in the hearth, she put herself to work making easy little repairs inside the house, intent on saving the tougher barn repairs for when she had Dina to help.

As she moved from task to task, the time quickly ticked by without Ellie realizing how long she’d been working. It felt like she’d only been there for a half hour when her stomach grumbled angrily as she fit a light in what would be JJ’s room. She finished screwing in the fitting, and glanced down at her watch as she made her way back downstairs. Her eyes widened when she saw it was nearly twelve thirty, and she made her way to the front of the house to search for any sign of Dina and JJ. She saw nothing, but Dina was never known for her punctuality, so she brushed it off and continued on with fitting light fixtures, trying to shake off the little seed of anxiety that planted itself into her mind. 

She lost herself in her work for a little while, but as the clock neared one fifteen, her seed of anxiety had grown into a redwood. Dina wasn't punctual, but this was extreme even for her. Especially travelling alone with JJ. She tried to convince herself that something must’ve come up in Jackson. Maria and Tommy leaned on them a lot when little things went wrong, and Dina was always one to help. But even as she listed off all the reasons Dina could be late in her mind, she found herself slipping into her coat and tossing her backpack over her shoulder. 

“What the fuck Dina,” she huffed and cracked her knuckles as she walked out of the house, heading straight to Apollo and hoisting herself onto his back without hesitating. She didn’t stop to think before she urged him forward, following the route Dina had planned to take.

Her anxiety grew as she continued to ride, the distance to the farmhouse only growing. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been riding when Apollo started to weave nervously, his tail swishing, and his head bobbing up and down, but she knew she was closer to Jackson than to the house, and she still hadn’t seen a single sign of Dina and JJ.

“Whoa, boy. What is it?” She pulled him to a halt and looked around, she considered for a moment that he was sensing her own anxiety, but he was far too nervous, and she’d been anxious when they left the house. His unease only made the sinking feeling in Ellie’s gut grow stronger. She slowly pulled out her gun, and cocked it, making sure it was loaded, before urging Apollo further down the path. He only made it a few more steps before he stopped in his tracks, shaking his head erratically and refusing to move. She had never seen him behave like this before, and that terrified her more than anything. 

She quickly dismounted, dropping quietly to her feet, pistol pointing in the direction of the empty woods. She moved down the path, careful to avoid any twigs or puddles that might give up her approach. Her eyes scanned the trees in search of any sign of movement, but she saw nothing, almost  _ too much  _ nothing. There wasn’t even a bird in the sky. She straightened her shoulders and cautiously peered around a small bend in the road, and when her eyes settled on the scene just around it, her breath hitched in her throat and her heart plummeted to her feet. 

The first, and only, thing she saw was a horse, lying motionless on its side, its feet pointing towards her and a sickly dark liquid puddling in the mud around it. . Dread consumed her entire body as her feet picked up their pace and brought her closer to the horse.

“Dina? JJ?” She yelled as she neared the scene, she was a few feet away when her worst fears were confirmed, Dina’s saddle blanket showing over the horse’s abdomen next to a faded but prominent Jackson ‘J’ brand, “Japan,” she breathed, tears welling in her eyes. She tore her eyes from his corpse and frantically scanned the woods surrounding her, screaming for Dina and JJ as she did, but still getting no response. She continued towards Japan’s body, hoping to find  _ something  _ on him that might tell her anything, but as she walked around his body, her blood turned to ice in her veins and she nearly dropped her gun. 

“Dina,” she choked, rushing toward her wife whose bottom half was trapped under Japan’s massive frame, and who was also most definitely  _ not  _ moving. under Japan. “Dina, fuck, Dina can you hear me?” she pleaded, dropping to her knees next to her wife. “DIna!” She gripped her wife’s shoulders and shook, but got no response. Tears fell from her eyes as she put her hands under Dina’s arms, hesitating when she saw the arrow sticking out of her right shoulder, but continuing on anyways and using every ounce of her strength to pull her out from under Japan. With a less than gentle heave, she pulled her out and into her lap, immediately bringing her trembling hands, slick with blood, up to Dina’s neck, desperately searching for a pulse. 

“Dina,  _ please  _ wake up,” she begged, the trembling of her hands making it impossible for her to even determine if she was alive or not; but refusing to believe she wasn’t. Her chest got tighter and tighter with each second that passed, and soon sobs were overtaking her body, her shoulders shaking as she held Dina, the cold mud sinking into her jeans and making her knees go numb. She bought her hand up to Dina’s cheek and felt the thick tears rolling off of her cheeks, “please,” she whispered.

A weak breath escaped Dina’s lips, and Ellie’s whole world filled again with hope. She let out a deep breath, and quickly wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her tattooed arm and moved her hands to Dina’s face, “D you have to wake up,” she said, with as much conviction as she could muster. The ashen skin of Dina’s forehead crinkled and her head moved in Ellie’s hands. Ellie’s heart soared and she encouraged the movement by rubbing her thumbs gently across her cheeks, “that’s it, open your eyes,” she begged, a tear falling down and splashing onto Dina’s cheek, the last nudge she needed for her eyes to flutter open. She glanced around, unfocused, before her eyes landed on Japan's body and a weak and panicked scream erupted from her lips, “JJ, where is JJ?” Ellie’s heart plummeted through her stomach and Dina turned to try and get up, a scream of pain erupting from her lips.

“Fuck, Dina,” Ellie said, scrambling to her feet as Dina fell back into the mud, eyes closed once again. Ellie’s mind swam with panic as she frantically looked around for any sign of their son. She looked down at Dina again and her panic only increased when she realized Dina’s movements had only succeeded in dislodging the arrow, and a fresh stream of blood was flowing far too quickly from the wound. 

Ellie’s mind swam with panic, she glanced around her hurriedly for any sign of JJ, but her eyes flashed back to her wife and she knew she had to make a move. It was impossible to tell how much of the blood on the ground was Dina’s and how much was Japan’s, but the fresh puddle was growing, and Ellie couldn’t just watch her wife bleed out in the middle of the woods. She tried to search the trees, for  _ any  _ sign of JJ,  _ any  _ sign that she wouldn’t have to make this choice. But there was nothing, not even an animal, and her heart clenched in her chest as she made the only decision she knew  _ might  _ help  _ something,  _ and tore her eyes from the trees. She clenched her jaw, trying to stem the tears that were pricking at her eyes, as she moved back towards Dina. 

She slowly put her arms under Dina, and lifted her from the ground, careful not to dislodge the arrow any more than it already had been. Her eyes fluttered open again as they approached her horse, and Ellie spoke quickly to her, not confident that she’d be conscious for long. “I need to get you back to Jackson before you bleed out,” she said, “I’m gonna put you on Apollo. You think you can hold yourself while I get on?” Dina nodded weakly, her lips dry as she tried to speak.

“Someone took him,” she said, the last half coming out as a groan as Ellie hoisted her up onto Apollo. Ellie’s stomach churned uncomfortably at Dina’s words as she quickly got up behind her and used her arms to steady Dina’s slouching frame.

“Who?” Ellie asked, “did you see who took him?” she questioned, but Dina slowly shook her head as Ellie tapped Apollo with her heel, harder than usual. The horse quickly obeyed her command and they were off in a steady gallop. Ellie tightened her grip on Dina to adjust for the bumpiness, and Dina’s eyes drifted closed again. The arrow still stuck out of Dina’s shoulder, threatening to stab Ellie with every one of Apollo’s strides, and the growing stream of blood seeping into the fabric of Dina’s shirt only made Ellie’s anxiety grow as she urged Apollo to go faster. 

Her mind raced with the possibilities of what would have happened as they rode towards Jackson, and she quickly formulated a plan. It was obviously some experienced people. The accuracy of their shots and lack of any evidence were testament to that. Hunters maybe? Or just some random bandits? Her mind raced as she tried mapping out the area surrounding Jackson, trying to think of anywhere JJ could have been taken, but she knew there was nowhere. All the settlements within at least a day’s travel of them had joined Jackson. It had to have been someone passing through. 

Dina slumped further forward as the walls of Jackson came into view and Ellie tightened her grip on her and pulled her up so she could lean back against her, the arrow resting between Ellie’s right arm and torso, slicing through her shirt and rubbing against her skin. 

As they neared the gates, she started frantically waving her right arm and screaming up to the tower, “open! It’s Ellie, I’ve got wounded!” she screamed, more desperation than she had expected creeping into her voice. She heard commotion and the gate opened quickly enough that she didn’t even have to slow down as she entered the town. She didn’t stop for any of the concerned people flooding around her, asking what happened, she just rode Apollo straight to the infirmary, not stopping until they were outside the peeling blue doors. She hopped off of Apollo, attempting to keep Dina’s slouching body from falling off the horse, just as two other horses came to a stop surrounding her.

“What the fuck happened?” Charlie exclaimed, hopping off his own horse and rushing over to Ellie’s side, taking Dina off of Apollo and into his arms as Ellie’s hands trembled against her horse. The events of the last, what was it? Ten minutes? Maybe fifteen? Flooded her mind and the weight of it all came crashing down around her, she shrugged her shoulders, and told Charlie about the only thing she did know.

“I don’t know,” Charlie looked at her with sympathy and confusion, “but someone took JJ, and she was bleeding out, I had to stop searching and bring her here, I couldn’t,” she trailed off, her hands shaking as she fidgeted with them in front of her, and the sky seeming to close in around them both, She looked desperately at her wife who looked closer and closer to death with each moment that passed, her skin a sickly pale color and almost every inch of her shirt soaked in blood. With that reminder, Charlie quickly moved toward the infirmity, careful not to move Dina too much as he went. Cat was already there holding the door, concern all over her face. They all rushed into the building, and everyone inside seemed to jump into hyper drive. Charlie set Dina on the stretcher they brought out, and before Ellie could even fully comprehend what was happening, they were rushing her down the hallway, discussing how to remove the arrow and how much blood they had on hand. She vaguely recalled someone telling her they’d do everything they can, they’d update her soon, but they just sounded like they were talking through glass, she couldn’t fully comprehend what they were saying. 

When the door closed behind them, Ellie’s ears rang in the sudden silence, and her heart pounded hard in her chest, her mind instantly going from Dina to JJ and back again, not sure which one she should be worrying about more, the panic rising in her throat, “I have to go find JJ, he’s got to be out there still,” Ellie decided, knowing waiting around here was doing nothing to help Dina anyways.

“I’m coming too,” Charlie said, Ellie looked at him with affection but shook her head.

“No, someone has to be here for Dina.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Cat offered, and Ellie hesitated for a moment, but relented with a small smile and a nod towards her friend, “she’s in good hands, okay? And I’ll be here when she wakes up, go find JJ.”

Ellie nodded once and thanked her before motioning towards Charlie to follow her out the door. They made their way quickly outside and jumped onto their horses, nearly running over Maria as they turned to leave. 

“Maria! Gather the patrolmen! We need to do a wide search of the perimeter, it’s JJ, he’s been taken,” Ellie’s mouth trembled through her words, her brain not letting her believe that they were true, “and Dina’s been hurt, badly. I found her on the Alpine Trail. I don’t know,” she glanced behind her at those blue doors, desperate for any sign that Dina was okay, “I don’t know if,”

“Hey,” Charlie said, snapping her attention to him, “she’s gonna be fine okay?” Ellie held his gaze and nodded her head slowly, forcing herself to agree even if she didn’t fully believe him.

“Fuck!” Maria swore and ran her hands through her hair furiously before pulling a walkie-talkie out of her pocket, “go!” she waved them off, “I’ll sound the alarm. We will find him, Ellie!” Ellie nodded her head and Maria brought the radio to her mouth as she turned towards the infirmary, talking rapidly into it as she went. 

Ellie tore her attention from Maria back to Charlie, and they both urged their horses forward and quickly made their way out of Jackson. They first went back to the scene of the attack, Ellie’s stomach churning as she saw Japan’s lifeless body again and tears pricking at her eyes. She clenched her jaw and pushed down her emotions, determined to focus on finding any sign of what happened to her son.

“I’ll look around here,” Charlie said, “why don’t you do a lap and look for any tracks.” Ellie nodded once and turned Apollo around as Charlie dismounted his horse to start searching.

She started circling the area, shouting for JJ as she did and looking for any sign that people had passed through. Her stomach churned uncomfortably as she rode, failing to find any sign of who it could have been, or where they could have gone. At one point, her heart started racing and she kicked Apollo into a fast gallop as she picked up distant voices, but after riding toward them at a ridiculous speed, she picked up the familiar voices of some of her friends and realized it must have been another patrol sent out by Maria. She felt better that at least more people were looking, but discouraged that she wasn’t finding  _ anything.  _ Eventually, Charlie joined her, having given up on looking for clues, only finding Dina’s backpack completely untouched, and one large boot print in the mud. It was scary how clean of an attack it was, and made Ellie even more nervous about  _ who  _ had done this.

Far sooner than Ellie would have liked, the sun started to set behind the mountains and Charlie looked at her with pity in his eyes. She hadn’t seen anyone look at her like that since losing Joel, it made her feel sick.

“Ellie, I think we should head back,” he said gently, “regroup and come up with a plan. Wherever he is, they couldn’t have gotten far. We’ll get more patrols out and use the bikes and the cars so we can search farther out faster,” he reasoned. Ellie’s heart sank. The idea of returning to Jackson without her son made her feel physically ill, but she knew Charlie was right, could practically hear Jesse in her mind telling her the exact same thing. She made a silent promise to her friend, that she  _ would  _ find JJ. And she would do it so fucking smartly he’d be flipping with pride if he could see it. And she knew that the smart thing this time, was to find out what happened without getting herself killed first, which meant going back to Jackson instead of riding off into the dead of night not even knowing what she was searching for. “Come on, we should check in on Dina anyways,” he continued, clearly misunderstanding her silence. The reminder of Dina sent her heart into overdrive again, and the anxiety spread through her veins again as she remembered  _ how much blood  _ Dina had lost. Enough that even the medics seemed concerned. She nodded eagerly at Charlie, and with renewed vigor, kicked Apollo into a gallop and headed back towards town. 

The two made it back to Jackson well after the sun had completely set, and once again Ellie rode straight to the infirmary without stopping, hopping off her horse and sprinting into the building as soon as she was there. The waiting room was empty apart from the older woman behind the counter, who smiled sympathetically at her as she approached. Ellie didn’t have time to open her mouth before the woman was speaking. 

“Maria is in there with her now, but I’m sure it’s fine for you to join them,” she gestured to the food behind her left shoulder, and relief flooded through Ellie’s exhausted body, “first door on the right.”

Ellie thanked the woman profusely before jogging through the door and straightinto Dina’s room. Maria was indeed there, sitting at the end of the bed with a hand on Dina’s shin, listening as a distant Dina spoke slow and lifeless words. When the door clicked shut behind her, both women looked at her. Maria’s face filled with sadness and deep thought, but when Dina’s eyes met her, Ellie’s was met with nothing. Where there was usually light and love, she only saw a hollow shell. She felt herself breaking then, every piece of herself she’d been holding so carefully into place shifting just enough to crumble, and a sob escaped her lips as the reality of the whole situation crushed down on her. She suddenly found it hard to breathe, and tried to choke down her tears as she crossed the room, hesitantly reaching out to Dina when she was close enough. Dina moved slowly, but towards Ellie, and melted into her as Ellie wrapped her arms around her, careful to avoid her wounded shoulder.

“He’s gone Dina, I, I couldn’t find anything, he’s just gone,” she sobbed into her wifes shoulder. Dina didn’t speak, didn’t make any indication that she had heard her at all.

“Who would have done this?” Maria’s pained voice filled the room.

Ellie pulled back from Dina and rubbed the tears from her face furiously. The truth is, Ellie had no idea who could have done something like this. Her and Dina had no enemies. They were all dead, or gone for good, and Jackson was  _ safe.  _ They hadn’t had problems with Hunters, or Bandits, or Infected for  _ years _ . It was too hard for anyone to even  _ get  _ that close to Jackson without facing a patrol or a trap. It didn’t make  _ sense _ . 

“I really don’t know,” her voice cracked, and she did everything she could do to keep her composure. She turned back to her wife, and gently squeezed her hand. “did you see what these people looked like? Do you know how many there were?”

Dina shook her head in response, “I didn’t see anything,” she said, her voice barely more than a whisper, a fat tear rolled down her cheek as she spoke, “I tried to get to him, I wasn’t enough.”

Ellie gently placed her hands on either side of her wifes face, and wiped away her tears, “hey, listen to me. We  _ will  _ find him, Dina. Okay? We’ve got people searching as we speak, and I’m gonna go again in the morning. We will make a plan and we will find him.”

Dina closed her eyes, leaning into Ellie’s touch, and nodded her head slowly. 

Maria cleared her throat then, and Ellie jumped, almost having forgotten she was there, “I’m gonna get headed out, I’ll send out another group soon, have them take the cars to get a wider search done.”

“Thanks, Maria.” Ellie replied, nodding towards her aunt. 

Maria placed her hand on Ellie’s shoulder and shared a look between the two girls, “rest up ladies, everything is going to be alright.” Ellie tried not to notice that her voice didn’t carry the same conviction it usually did. Even Maria was scared, and somehow that made it all feel a lot worse. 

Ellie nodded once, shaken by Maria’s lack of confidence, and watched her leave.

“Ellie?” Dina called from behind her, her voice quiet and strained.

Ellie took a deep breath, determined to be strong, and turned around, moving to sit down next to her wife.

“Hey babe,” Ellie took her hand and traced circled on her palm.

“Please don’t leave me,” Dina whispered just loud enough for Ellie to hear.

“Hey, what are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere.” 

“To find him, don’t go without me,” Dina clarified, eyes trained on her hands in her lap, her voice slightly muffled and difficult to hear.

“We do this together, babe. Just you and me,” Ellie replied, tucking a loose hair behind Dina’s ear, and placing a soft kiss to her forehead, “you go, I go.”

“You go, I go.” Dina agreed weakly, and leaned into her wife. Ellie closed her eyes and took Dina’s hand, holding it tightly, at least content in knowing that no matter what happened, this time, she wasn’t alone. And for now, that was enough. 


	4. Chapter 4

November 12th 2048

Dina

Dina’s tired eyes glanced around the room, never settling on one thing for too long. Ellie was on her bed, her hand resting on Dina’s knee and her eyes looking intently at the medic, who was explaining _something._ Ellie nodded her head curtly and Dina felt the pressure on her knee increase for a moment, before disappearing completely as Ellie stood from the bed. She wasn’t even sure how long they’d been there, how long it had been since everything happened, how long JJ had been gone.

A crack of thunder shook the walls around them, and Ellie glanced worriedly toward the ceiling, a furrow in her brow. Dina watched as she brought her hands together and cracked her knuckles, before turning to Dina with a gentle smile on her face, “apparently you gave them a hell of a time,” Ellie joked, though her voice lacked its usual humor, the small smile she’d attempted fell from her face almost as soon as it had shown up, and she looked down at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers, “you lost a lot of blood, and the arrow was laced with something, some kind of tranquilizer,” she explained, only glancing up at Dina. Somewhere in her mind she was registering the words Ellie was saying, but she couldn’t find her voice, so she just nodded her head slowly in response. Ellie clenched her hands into a ball, knuckles going white, and her eyes drifted towards the corner of the room, her jaw clenching, before she cleared her throat and looked back towards her battered wife, “they said you can go home if you want, or stay here, it’s up to you.”

Dina’s chest tightened, and she shook her head, “home, please,” she said, despite her best effort, there was no sound behind her words, she was surprised Ellie even heard her. But she nodded her head and gave Dina a small smile as she stood up from the bed. 

“I’ll go let them know,” she said softly, squeezing Dina’s knee once more before making her way out of the room.

Dina didn’t move even after Ellie left. Her mind had surpassed pain, leaving behind a hollow emptiness, so empty there wasn’t even air for her to breathe. The only thing she could do was sit still and just wait for someone to bring back the air. Ellie helped, she gave Dina something to focus on, something real. But when she wasn’t there, it was just nothingness. Just the endless void that invaded her mind and stopped her from feeling _anything._ The void that sucked the air out of her lungs the second JJ was taken from her, the void she didn’t know how to escape from. Her eyes stung and somewhere in her she remembered the need to _blink._ A repetitive squeak pierced through the void and Dina’s eyes snapped toward the door in time to see Elie pushing a rusting wheelchair through the door, a soft smile on her face, “they’ve got a car out front to drive us home,” she said, locking the wheels of the chair and moving over to Dina’s side, “ready?” 

Dina nodded and allowed Ellie to slip her arm around her back and help move Dina to the edge of the bed. Somewhere in her mind she registered pain in her shoulder, but she couldn’t focus on it enough to care. Ellie was gentle as she helped Dina into the chair, and even more so as she wheeled her out of the infirmary, taking extra care not to jostle her too much as she helped her into the truck under the protection of their makeshift awning, constructed of a semi-waterproof tarp and wood posts. Dina’s eyes lingered on the back right corner as Ellie climbed into the truck behind her, watching as the material bulged under the weight of the water, a leak forming along the edge and a steady stream of water pouring onto the concrete below. 

“Okay, good to go,” Ellie said softly to the person in the driver’s seat, Dina didn’t look to see who it was, just focused on Ellie, the warmth of her beside her keeping her grounded. She felt a warm pressure on her left thigh, and looked down to see Ellie’s blood stained hand there, gripping softly, the warmth that Ellie brought seemed to radiate from the place where Ellie’s hand rested, spreading through her body all the way to the tips of her toes. The pain throbbed at the edges of her chest, reminding Dina of the pain that threatened to erupt if she slipped completely out of the void, but the warmth of Ellie’s hand reminded her that she didn’t have to fear it. With as much strength as she could muster, she closed her eyes and reached her own hand down and gripped onto her wife’s, holding onto the warmth for dear life, and not letting go the entire ride home. 

  
  
  


*****

As they stepped inside the house, the only thing that registered in Dina’s brain was how deafening the silence was. Ellie’s presence alone was enough in the car, but being surrounded by everything that was so familiar had her retreating back into the deepest corner of her mind, begging for the void to return. 

Her eyes seemed to seek out every little reminder of JJ without her permission, and the pressure in her chest only grew with each second that passed. First, her eyes landed on his sneakers, carelessly tossed next to the front door, then his backpack just inside the dining room, half open and with a comic peeking out of the zipper. By the time her eyes settled on the walkman laying, still unused, on the coffee table, her lip was trembling and sobs were overwhelming her. She longed for the numbness of the void as grief clawed its way out of her chest and threatened to bring her to her knees. Ellie’s arm was the only thing keeping her standing, and she leaned into it, hands grasping desperately at Ellie’s blood stained shirt, needing anything to hold onto to keep the earth from swallowing her whole. She sobbed into her wife, eventually both of them collapsing into a heap on the floor, until she found a tiny corner of numbness in her mind, blocking out any reminder of why everything hurt _so bad,_ and focusing only on the feeling of Ellie’s arms around her. 

“Come on,” Ellie said eventually, her voice thick and raspy, her hand moving gently through Dina's matted locks. Dina opened her eyes slowly, her face stiff with dried tears, and allowed Ellie to detach herself from her, though Ellie still kept a hand on her at all times, like she knew Ellie’s touch was the only thing keeping her from slipping away. With careful movements, Ellie helped Dina to her feet, and slowly and carefully walked her up the stairs. 

They went into their bathroom, and Ellie brought Dina over to the tub, holding her hand lightly as she reached to plug the drain before turning on the hot tap, waiting until the water started to steam before turning the cold tap as well. Ellie’s left hand played gently with Dina’s fingers, and Dina focused on her right hand as her fingers danced under the stream of water. And then as, after a few seconds, she brought her wet hand to her shirt and wiped the water off before turning back to and bringing her hand up to her shoulder. With gentle fingers, she peeled back the bandages, revealing a red and angry wound, stitched neatly and dressed with ointment. 

“I’m gonna have to avoid the wound,” she said softly as she set the bandages aside. She moved her hands to the hem of Dina’s shirt and hesitated, looking to Dina for a sign she was ready. Dina nodded once and held her breath as Ellie carefully removed the garment, wincing when she had to move her arm. 

Ellie was gentle as she continued to strip Dina, taking care to remove each piece of clothing while inflicting as little pain as possible. After her clothes were gone Dina stood, arms crossed protectively over her chest, feeling more naked from the lack of Ellie’s contact than from the lack of clothes, while Ellie stripped as well. When they were both naked, Ellie turned to Dina, stopping for a moment, her eyes focused on the new bright red wound. She brought her hand up and just barely grazed her fingers over the stitches, before moving just an inch lower to the long healed puckered skin of an almost identical wound. 

Her eyes slid shut for a moment, and then her hand was trailing down Dina’s arm, gripping her fingers, and pulling her in the direction of the tub.

Wordlessly, Ellie helped Dina lower herself into the water, and then turned back towards the counter, reaching for a fresh cloth in the cabinet underneath. Dina turned her face down and focused on the water, watching dirt and mud swirl in the clear liquid as the evidence of the day dissolved from her skin. She felt the water rising as Ellie returned to the tub and lowered herself into the water, her knees on either side of Dina’s hips. She put a hand on Dina’s back and slowly reached around her for the plastic cup resting on the side of the tub. A moment later, she was reaching around Dina again, this time to fill up the cup with clean water from the tap. Dina watched as clear water overflowed the cup for a second before Ellie pulled it out from under the stream and slowly pulled her hand back until it was out of Dina’s view. She focused on the warmth spreading slowly down her back as Ellie poured the water over her shoulders. Gentle hands followed the water, and Dina tracked the movement of each finger as they worked to scrub her clean.

Ellie’s hands moved gently near the wound, taking care not to get it wet, and then moved down to her arms. She wordlessly lifted them, filling the cup again and following the same process with each arm. After the initial rinse, she grabbed the nearly finished bar of soap from the side and worked it into a lather in her hands, She set it down, and her hands repeated their route across Dina’s back and down her arms. The sensation was calming, and brought her more peace than she’d felt all day. She focused on that feeling as she opened her eyes and allowed herself to really take in her surroundings. 

Her eyes first landed on a worn grey wash cloth that was draped over the faucet, dried into place on top, but the edges dripping from where it hung under the stream of water. Ellie’s hand reached around her again to fill the cup, and this time she poured it gently over Dina’s head. Dina closed her eyes and the stream of water was replaced by firm but gentle fingers, massaging soap into her scalp. Dina kept her eyes closed, focusing on each individual finger as they worked the grime from her hair. Ellie pulled her hands away for a moment and Dina felt her shifting behind her. As she did, Dina opened her eyes again, and they locked onto a small blue faded shark robe slung over the radiator to dry. She snapped her head forward as her empty chest flooded with the agony her mind had been blocking out all day.

She took a deep gasping breath as Ellie’s legs settled on either side of her, and closed her eyes and clutched her arms to her torso as Ellie started to rinse the soap from her hair. She tried to focus her mind on the feeling of Ellie around her, fingers working through her hair and legs surrounding her, but the sound of JJ’s scream echoed in her mind as the muddy bloody water dripped down around her, and the reality that he was gone punched a hole through her chest so big that she was amazed she wasn’t already dead. Her first sob came out almost silent, choked. And then her whole body was shaking. Sobs tearing from her lips and hands grasping for anything to hold onto, but finding nothing but water.

Slender arms snaked delicately around her torso, and Dina grabbed them, clutching to her lifeline with every ounce of strength she had. She sobbed unrestrained into the silence of the room, and Ellie held her, shushing quietly in her ear and rocking her gently as she did.

The water went cold before her tears stopped, and the hole in her chest was only being kept at bay by the arms wrapped around her. Eventually, the sobs turned into shaky breaths, and Dina felt Ellie slowly peeling her arms away. Her eyes stung with fresh tears at the loss of contact, but they were kept at bay by the gentle voice in her ear.

“Let’s go to bed,” Ellie offered. Her voice was even and controlled. Dina wished she could be as strong as her. She nodded her head slowly in response and Ellie stepped out of the tub. Dina kept her head forward, eyes locked on the place where the murky water met the faded white tub.

“Come on,” Ellie urged gently, putting a hand into the tub and pulling the drain. Dina turned to her then and accepted the hand that was offered to her, getting out of the tub much more slowly than her wife had.

The numbness returned as Ellie wrapped her in a towel and led her into their room, even the pain fading into the background, being replaced by nothing. The hole in her chest hadn’t gone away, but her blood had stopped flowing, all was numb. She stood still, towel draped over her shoulders and hair dripping, creating dark circles on the rug below her feet as Ellie silently pulled out pyjamas, and dressed Dina with as much care as she’d shown all evening. 

She layed Dina gently down into the bed and left a lingering kiss on the side of her head, “I’m gonna get us some water,” she said softly, Dina nodded her head and turned onto her side, pulling the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes. She focused on the sounds of Ellie moving through the house, the creaking of the steps as she walked down them, the squeaking of the door as she stopped in the bathroom for something. Moments later she heard the sound of the tap and the kettle being filled with water, and her mind started drifting as silence fell. The pain in her chest was dulled by the weight of the blanket, and before she could hear the kettle scream that the water was boiled, her mind let go and sleep overtook her.

  
  


_Birds echo through the open space, and JJ smiles brightly as he tries to imitate all of the different sounds. Dina laughs and mimics him, but the sound does in her throat as dozens of birds stop their own noises and flee from the trees. In an instant the sunshine disappears and the summer heat vanishes, leaving a chill like the dead of winter. The only thing Dina can see is the bright moon in the sky. JJ shivers behind her, and squeezes her tightly._

_“Mama, I’m really scared.” JJ whispers, his voice small._

_“It’s okay baby, I’ve got you,” she reaches back to place her hand on his thigh, but her heart sinks when it only meets air, the warmth behind her suddenly gone._

_Deafening screams rung through the night, the unmistakable sound of a hoard of infected. The noise got louder and louder, confirming that they were approaching fast. Dread consumed her when the noise stopped, for just a moment before it was replaced by a new scream. JJ’s scream._

  
  


She bolted awake in a sweat and heavy breaths, she wasn’t sleeping for long judging by the still steady rainfall and darkness outside. She wasn’t sure what woke her at first, but then she heard a desperate sob from down the hall and the hole in her chest erupted with pain. She was out of bed quickly, eyes pricking with tears as she followed the heart wrenching sobs. She paused outside his bedroom door, hand trembling as she took a deep breath and slowly pushed it open. The sight inside tore through her chest like hot iron. Ellie was crumpled beside JJ’s bed, Ollie clutched in her hands, and tears soaking into the collar of her shirt. Her eyes locked with Dina’s and another sob escaped her lips.

“He… he can’t be gone,” was all she choked out, and then Dina was moving across the room, crumpling beside her. They grasped at each other, both seeming to search in vain for something to keep them grounded. 

“We have to find him,” Dina sobbed, arms finally still and clutching the shirt on Ellie’s back.

Ellie squeezed her tighter and they melted together, feeling the pain and the fear with each other instead of alone. Eventually, after they both stopped crying, and then started, and then stopped again, they lay on JJ’s floor, Ellie’s back leaned against the side of his bed, and Dina’s head resting in her lap. Ellie ran her fingers gently through Dina’s hair, while Dina’s attention was on Ollie, who was resting on Ellie’s legs in front of her face. She focused intently on his faded blue fabric, and gently stroked a loose thread on his mouth, folding it down over and over again. 

“Dina?” Ellie spoke, her voice cracking on the second syllable. Dina paused her movements and turned onto her back. Ellie was already looking down at her, and had a thoughtful wrinkle to her brow. Dina brought her hand up and stroked Ellie’s cheek gently, and she let out a slow sigh, melting into the touch. When Dina brought her hand back down, the worry crept straight back into Ellie’s brow “I don’t really know what to do right now,” Ellie admitted, eyes darting all around Dina’s face before settling somewhere near her left ear, “but I know that sometimes, when things are really bad, you pray,” Dina felt tears prickling at her eyes as Ellie struggled over her words, hands now trembling slightly in Dina’s hair, “would you say a prayer, with me?” Ellie asked, eyes finally meeting Dina’s, “for JJ?”

Dina sat up onto her knees and turned to face Ellie, pulling her shaking hands into her own before bringing them to her lips, “I would love to say a prayer with you,” she said, her voice having more strength than it had all day. Ellie looked at her again, tears brimming in her eyes, spilling over as she nodded her head. Dina gently wiped the tears away, feeling the smallest bit of strength and determination return, and allowing her hand to linger for a moment on Ellie’s freckled cheek, before bringing it down and clutching both of Ellie’s hands in her own. She bowed her head, and gave Ellie a look when she didn’t follow suit. With a quick mumbled apology, Ellie adjusted her shoulders, and lowered her head, and together, with every ounce of desperation and belief that either of them could muster, they prayed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback always appreciated!
> 
> We are more than likely going to upload chapter 5 in the week to say sorry for this super angsty chapter. Thanks for reading :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Feedback is always encouraged :)


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